“Comrades, the enemy is burrowed into those ridgelines like ticks on a boar,” oberstleutnant Heinrich called over the radio. “It is our mission to dig them out and eradicate them. They are obstructing our path to reunite our homeland. This western influence of capitalism has gone on too long. Every one of us must do our duty.” Oberstleutnant Heinrich knew the commissar was listening.

[i]“Herr Heinrich,”[/i] Oberst Maximilien Muller, the 91st Regimental Commander called over the radio. “Are you prepared to assault your objectives, over?”

“Ja Wohl, mein herr,” Oberstleutnant Heinrich responded. He looked at his wristwatch. It was 0650 hours. “Herr Oberst, we will be on those ridges advancing westward in five minutes.”

“Sehr gut! Don’t let us down. Germany is depending on you, out.”

Heinrich called his Recce company commander, “pull back east of that ridge and head north. Once you pass our main supply route, head for Hasselburg. You may have to bypass the ridge to the west. Stay north of it and look for a safe route there. The battalion will be assaulting soon.”

Heinrich then ordered the rest of the battalion to advance through the crossroads and deploy toward the north east of Ansbach and begin their assault west.

The A Company had already moved through the intersection but lost their 2nd platoon due to direct fire from American Abrams. The first and second platoons moved up just to the right of the small ridge in front of them. The D Company, attached from the infantry battalion, moved in behind them. The B Company moved up to the right of A Company and C Company took the far right of the line. Everyone executed a left face; a battle drill to turn and attack into the enemy.

As soon as the battalion began to deploy, US 155mm Indirect fire began impacting on the road intersection, the entire battalion had to pass through. But since most of the vehicles were armored and buttoned up, the damage was negiligble, but the battalion did lose three T-80 Main Battle Tanks. 

Racing across the sky from east to west, were a pair of Sukhoi-25 Frogfoots. The heavily laiden aircraft streaked in at about ten thousand feet, then began a diving run at the known enemy positions west of Ansbach. The two aircraft lined up on the two armor platoons and unleashed a violent salvo of S-13 and S-25 air to ground rockets. The first Frogfoot completely missed its target but tore up the ground and made an impressive splash of orange explosions erupt into the air above. Adjacent to this attack, the second aircraft unleased a similar salvo and struck the four M1 Abrams sending both into secondary explosions killing the sixteen soldiers of second platoon. The two Su-25s pulled out of their dive arced around behind the American armor battalion with the intention of returning to base. At the extend of their arc, a Stinger missile shot up into the sky effortless, striking the fuselage of the second Su-25 causing it to explode on impact. The lone Su-25 streaked back east of the 1K zone and back to a friendly airbase.

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Just as the battalion executed its left face and began to advance towards the ridges, all hell broke loose. Just about every American cannon and missile launcher in the area of operations opened up on the battalion. There was a violent rush of fires and explosions ripping up and down the line of East German panzers and infantry fighting vehicles. When it was all over, at least half the battalion was destroyed.

Oberleutnant Heinrich felt the impact of the Armor Piercing Depleted Uranium round which destroyed his tank, but in such a way that he was able to hurriedly crawl out of the turret, across the engine deck and flop onto the ground. The reality is no fewer than fourteen enemy panzers fired on the German battalion commander’s tank. HE was certainly lucky to be alive. As soon as he could get to his feet, he ran to one of the infantry BMPs near the wood line behind him. He called for his UAZ-469 built at the Ulianovsk plant in the Soviet Union.

Before his car arrived, he looked at his wristwatch. It was 0655 Hours. Now he pondered his options. Either we assume a defensive position where they sit or continue the advance. What would he do?